Christmas 2015

We had a lovely, quiet Christmas. We did just a few presents, preferring this year instead to "gift" the kids with a mini-vacation, which we'll take over New Years. We had our good friends, the Semeraus over for dinner, and ate tamales and empanadas until we were full to bursting. Then we ate cheesecake. Gluttons, I tell you. But oh my, it was so good. Derek and I cooked all day, and it was worth it. However, there is a reason we only do it once a year. 

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope your day was wonderful! 

Halloween 2015

Halloween lasted a full three days here. We are all very very tired, and over-sugared. It was a great time really, but tiring.

We started our celebrations with story time for the littles with church trunk or treat. It was a carnival first and then the candy. Too much fun was had. Oh my goodness it was so fun for our little people to party with their friends.

You may note that we had TWO Harry Potters. Spencer was supposed to instead be a gold power ranger (which is also what Ezra was), but the night before the party, he confessed that he REALLY wanted to be Harry Potter (this of course infuriated Henry, but whatevs), so we through a costume together. It worked.

Friday was school parties and a parade. The kids had fun, and as a third grade room mom, I just hoped it wasn't a disaster.

Finally Saturday was the big day! Our town does a fantastic job making Halloween amazing. We all donate candy to the town, and then it is distributed to the houses in the Historic district. The whole town trick or treats there. The homes are decorated to the teeth. It's just such fun. 

I'm learning the ways of my new camera. It's a lot of buttons and knobs and new-fangledness. 

Halloween, Over and OUT. 

Why We Limit Screen Time

Well. It seems the trend these days is to not limit screen time for children. "Let them learn to moderate themselves," is the newest parenting battle cry.

Sure. Yeah. Ok.

Look, I get the idea behind not limiting screens as equaling that they learn to limit themselves. I see the really good intentions behind this plan.

But it's absolute bull crap. Utter and complete horse hockey.

Let's be real here. I use my phone a lot. Some for funsies, some for worksies. A lot. I have to, as a 32 year old ADULT, make a conscious effort to not peak at my notifications every five minutes.

It's just too easy.

Also, as a human who has reached full cognitive development, I'm expected to be capable of lots of self-control. Because...adult.

My children on the other hand?

Well. They moderate nothing.

Nothing. They'll happily eat junk non-stop. They'll wear a shirt for days if I don't intervene. They'll screen time until their eyeballs fall out and roll across the floor.

As parents we have a sacred responsibly to prepare these folks for life beyond elementary school.

To prepare them we're teaching them moderation through SETTING LIMITS.

No. You can not have candy. Here is a carrot stick.

No. You may not punch your brother when you are angry. Use words.

No. You may not sneak your tablet and play Minecraft in bed until 10pm. You are now grounded from your tablet for a week.

Allowing children free reign of ANYTHING teaches them not to moderate, but to over-indulge.

Instead, I'm teaching them to set proper limits by setting those limits for them until they gain proper cognitive ability to choose moderation themselves.

Left to their own devices (ha I'm so punny) they don't quit. They just stay glued. For.hours.

So heck yes I'll limit their screen to time, candy intake and general tendency to be gluttonous and slothful. It's my job to teach them what it feels like to constrain one's self. It's my job to help them recognize when enough is enough.

This way when they are 32, they can moderate themselves. Because their parents taught them HOW rather than just expecting that through some sort of miraculous conversion, they'll figure it out on their own.

I know limiting screens can be a battle. It's easier just to let them. Oh yes. I get it. By standing firm, we are showing our children how to use technology responsibly. Through our own example of putting the devices aside they learn to do as we DO as much as what we say.

We need more interaction, more playing outside and more moderation.

And less Mine Craft. Much less of that.

Summah!

Oh gosh. I swore as the snow began to finally melt that never even once when summer finally began would I complain of the heat. I was dedicated instead to simply squeezing the juice out of summer in every way possible.

See, living here means that you accept the tundra frozen, covered in snow for months on end.

The payout is so so good though. Summer.

Oh summer.

You are so very good.

It's almost worth the disgusting-ness of the never-ending winter for summer.

Sweet, sacred summer.

We're living it up. Today was the chilly ocean water that captivated us. "Soak it in kids," I urged. "Soon it'll be too cold."

They swam, jumped, dug, ran, boogie-boarded... Oh heaven.

Miriam was even enthralled. "The ocean got me, Mama," she cried in delight.

It got me too, Baby Girl. Me too.

August begins tomorrow. And August begins our push towards the end of the year. From here on out, it's go go go.

No, summer isn't over yet, and we plan to love it still, but now we shift. We shift into birthday/school/holiday mode.

Here we go! 

Storyland

Until last Friday, we as a clan, had never done any kind of "amusement park" for LOTS of reasons.
1. Expense
2. Lines
3. Propensity towards motion sickness
4. Tiny kids

But our dear friends (who up and moved away) gifted us a wad of tickets to New Hampshire's one and only Storyland, we decided, what the heck! Let's throw caution to the wind, pack some puke sacks and motion sick meds and go!

And go we did.

And we're off!

It was nearly three hours from the house, so that of course meant that we had to stop three time for various reasons.

Once we got there, it was of course raining. This meant that there were less people hanging around. SCORE.

Off we went.

Okay, so total honestly time: I was a little creeped out upon entering Ye Olde Storyland. The front of the park is like... well, you know in scary movies when bad things happen at creepy amusement parks?

That.

Riding inside a creepy pumpkin carriage. 

But onward we pushed, and quickly discovered that there were LESS creepy parts of the park, with LOTS of fun things to do.

Phew. Relief.

So many rides were ridden. Because I was the designated baby-holder, I rode very few rides, and the ones I did ride made my bones ache. I'm OLD, okay? I get it.

Derek was amazing though, and rode and rode and rode. His motion sick meds worked, as did everyone else's and NO ONE THREW UP.

Derek is the best dad.

Hang on. What???

I'll say it again.

NO ONE THREW UP.

ALL FOOD THAT WAS CONSUMED STAYED INSIDE VARIOUS BODIES.

Amazing.

We played the day away. Lines were blessedly minimal. Rain fell, and fun was had by all.
Then we went and found dinner at a fabulous and inexplicably empty southern BBQ restauarant then wended our way home. Frederick was D-O-N-E by about an hour from our house. Too bad so sad little dude, we kept on keeping on.

Saturday was spent in the post-fun-grumpy-hangover, but really, it was worth it. We really did have a great time.

I'm not signing up for a yearly pass or anything, but we did have fun.

The Last Week. Much Pictures.

My inlaws were here this week, and we were able to bless our sweet Frederick here at home on Friday night. My sister, Erin and little guy Levi made the trek down from upstate New York to join in the festivities. It was a great, wonderful, busy time.

Easter included an egg hunt yesterday with the grandparents and cousin, and then again today, along with an basket hunt, WAYYYYYY too much candy, and no one wanting to eat anything real.

Basically, a perfect holiday.

Three generations 

All my boys wear the same blessing outfit because, well, they just do. But, Sir Fred was far too tired to wake up, and being my sixth, I've learned you simply do all you can not to wake the baby. So, instead of changing him, and making him angry, he took a four hour nap. I picked him up asleep, and handed him to Derek. The blessing was offered for him in, in PJs swaddled up nice and cozy. 

Cute girl. 

I can not figure out how to get them ALL to look happy at the camera. It's not possible. Also, my mother-in-law was MIA for picture taking. 

Tons of people were able to come celebrate out sweet boy. I'm so grateful. 

More friends!

Spencer... I don't know. 

We spent a lot of time together in the kitchen with the grandparents. 

Cookies with Grammy!

My sleepy boy. 

Grammy snuggles. 

Goobers. All of them. 

Dying eggs, on Easter. Because I'm slow and behind, but at least they got done. 

Easter isn't terribly impressive when you're new. 

So much Easter!